Spain Bars West Bank College From Competition

Spanish officials have barred a team from Ariel College, an Israeli college located in occupied land on the West Bank, from participating in an international competition among university student teams to build a solar-powered house, Israel News reported. Ariel's team had reached the finalist round, but a statement from the contest organizers said it could not continue. "The decision was made by the Spanish government based on the fact that the university is located in occupied territory in the West Bank. The Spanish government is committed to uphold the international agreement under the framework of the European Union and the United Nations regarding this geographical area," said the statement. Ariel responded by saying: "We scornfully reject the one-sided announcement we received from the Spanish Housing Ministry. The anti-academic decision harms 10,000 students in the university center, including 500 Arab students who study at the institution, in particular the Jewish and Arab students studying together in the school of architecture."